After the release of Iron Man 2 in May 2010, Favreau decided not to return as director, and in February 2011 Black was hired to write and direct the film. Black and Pearce opted to make the script more character-centric and focused on thriller elements. Throughout April and May 2012, the film's supporting cast was filled out, with Kingsley, Pearce, and Hall brought in to portray key roles. Filming began on May 23, and lasted through December 17, 2012, primarily at EUE/Screen Gems Studios in Wilmington, North Carolina. Additional shooting took place at various locations around North Carolina, as well as Florida, China and Los Angeles. The visual effects were handled by 17 companies, including Scanline VFX, Digital Domain, and Weta Digital. The film was converted to 3D in post-production.

Iron Man 3 premiered at Le Grand Rex in Paris on April 14, 2013. It began its release on April 25, 2013, internationally, and debuted in the United States one week later on May 3. The film was both critically and commercially successful, grossing over $1.2 billion worldwide, the second highest-grossing film of 2013 overall, and the second-highest-grossing film at the domestic box office released in 2013. It became the 16th film to gross over $1 billion and currently ranks as the sixth-highest-grossing film of all time and the sixth-highest-grossing opening of all time. The film was made available for digital download on September 3, 2013, and released on Blu-ray Disc and DVD on September 24, 2013.

Tony Stark recalls a New Years Eve party in 1999 where he meets scientist Maya Hansen, the inventor of Extremis, an experimental regenerative treatment intended to allow recovery from crippling injuries. Disabled scientist Aldrich Killian offers them a place in his company Advanced Idea Mechanics, but Stark rejects the offer, humiliating Killian. Years later, Stark's experiences during the alien invasion of New York are giving him panic attacks. Restless, he has built several dozen Iron Man suits, creating friction with his girlfriend Pepper Potts. Meanwhile, a string of bombings by a terrorist known only as the Mandarin has left intelligence agencies bewildered by a lack of forensic evidence. Stark's security chief Happy Hogan is badly injured in a Mandarin attack, causing Stark to issue a televised threat to the Mandarin, who responds by destroying Stark's home with helicopter gunships. Hansen, who came to warn Stark, survives the attack along with Potts. Stark escapes in an Iron Man suit, which his artificial intelligenceJ.A.R.V.I.S. pilots to rural Tennessee, following a flight plan from Stark's investigation into the Mandarin. Stark's experimental armor lacks sufficient power to return to California, and the world believes him dead.

Teaming with Harley, a precocious 10-year-old boy, Stark investigates the remains of a local explosion bearing the hallmarks of a Mandarin attack. He discovers the "bombings" were triggered by soldiers subjected to Extremis, which at this stage of development can cause certain subjects to explosively reject it. After veterans started exploding, these explosions were falsely attributed to a terrorist plot in order to cover up Extremis's flaws. Stark witnesses Extremis firsthand when Mandarin agents Brandt and Savin attack him. With Harley's help, Stark traces the Mandarin to Miami and infiltrates his headquarters using improvised weapons. Inside he discovers the Mandarin is actually a British actor named Trevor Slattery, who claims he is oblivious to the actions carried out in his image. Killian, who appropriated Hansen's Extremis research as a cure for his own disability and expanded the program to include injured war veterans, reveals he is the real Mandarin, using Slattery as a cover. After capturing Stark, Killian kidnaps Potts and subjects her to Extremis to gain Stark's aid in fixing Extremis's flaws and thereby saving Potts. Killian kills Hansen when she has a change of heart about the plan.

Killian has manipulated American intelligence agencies regarding the Mandarin's location, luring James Rhodes – the former War Machine, now re-branded as the Iron Patriot – into a trap to steal the armor. Stark escapes and reunites with Rhodes, discovering that Killian intends to attack President Ellis aboard Air Force One. Stark saves some surviving passengers and crew but cannot stop Killian from abducting Ellis and destroying Air Force One. They trace Killian to an impounded damaged oil tanker where Killian intends to kill Ellis on live television. The vice president will become a puppet leader, following Killian's orders in exchange for Extremis to cure his young daughter's disability. On the platform, Stark goes to save Potts, as Rhodes saves the president. Stark summons his Iron Man suits, controlled remotely by J.A.R.V.I.S., to provide air support. Rhodes secures the president and takes him to safety, while Stark discovers Potts has survived the Extremis procedure. However, before he can save her, a rig collapses around them and she falls to her apparent death. Stark confronts Killian and traps him in an Iron Man suit that self-destructs, but fails to kill him. Potts, whose Extremis powers allowed her to survive her fall, intervenes and kills Killian. After the battle, Stark orders J.A.R.V.I.S. to remotely destroy each Iron Man suit as a sign of his devotion to Potts, while the vice president and Slattery are arrested. With Stark's help, Potts' Extremis effects are stabilized, and Stark undergoes surgery to remove the shrapnel embedded near his heart. He pitches his obsolete chest arc reactor into the sea, musing he will always be Iron Man.

In a present day post-credits scene, Stark wakes up Dr. Bruce Banner, who fell asleep listening to Stark's story.

A self-described genius, billionaire, playboy, and philanthropist with mechanical suits of armor of his own invention. Stark now struggles to come to terms with his near-death experience in The Avengers,[4][5] suffering from anxiety attacks. On making a third Iron Man film, Downey said, "My sense of it is that we need to leave it all on the field—whatever that means in the end. You can pick several different points of departure for that."[6] On following up The Avengers, Downey said they "tried to be practical, in a post-Avengers world. What are his challenges now? What are some limitations that might be placed on him? And what sort of threat would have him, as usual, ignore those limitations?"[7] Screenwriter Drew Pearce compared Tony to an American James Bond for both being "heroes with a sense of danger to them, and unpredictability" even if Stark was a "free agent" instead of an authority figure like Bond. He also likened Tony to the protagonists of 1970s films such as The French Connection, where "the idiosyncrasies of the heroes is what made them exciting."[8]

Stark's girlfriend, longtime associate, and CEO of Stark Industries.[4][9] Paltrow says of her character's relationship to Tony, "[She still] adores Tony, but she absolutely gets fed up with him. He gets caught in a feedback loop."[10] Kevin Feige comments on Pepper's role in the film: "The love triangle in this movie is really between Tony, Pepper and the suits. Tony, Pepper and his obsession with those suits, and the obsession with technology." Feige also states that the film uses the character to play with the damsel in distress trope, and posits the question, "Is Pepper in danger or is Pepper the savior?"[11]

Stark's best friend, the liaison between Stark Industries and the U.S. Air Force in the department of acquisitions. Rhodes operates the redesigned/upgraded War Machine armor, taking on an American flag-inspired color scheme similar to the Iron Patriot armor from the comics.[5] Feige said of Rhodes and the armor, "The notion in the movie is that a red, white and blue suit is a bold statement, and it's meant to be. With Rhodey, he's very much the foil to Tony's eccentricities, and in this one you get to see this and be reminded of the trust and friendship between them in that great Shane Blackbuddy-cop fashion."[12] In the film, the president asks Rhodey to take up the moniker "Iron Patriot," and don the red, white, and blue suit, in order to be the government's "American hero" in response to the events in The Avengers.[13]

The creator of the Extremis virus[14] and the founder of Advanced Idea Mechanics,[15] who adopts the mantle of the Mandarin as his own.[16][17] Killian develops Extremis to cure his own debilitating disability; in addition to his regenerative healing qualities, he has superhuman strength and the ability to generate extreme heat. Prolonged exposure to Extremis also grants him the ability to breathe fire. On taking the role, Pearce said, "I feel a little more experimental in what I'll take on these days, but I still don't know that I would want to play the superhero myself, since I'm playing a different kind of character in this film... The main difference was that, when I did The Time Machine, I was pretty much in all of it, so it was a really grueling experience. Prometheus and Iron Man are really kind of cameo stuff, so the experience of shooting them... I mean, on some level, it's tricky because you feel like a bit of an outsider. You don't really live the experience that you do when you're there all day every day with everybody. But at the same time, it can be more fun sometimes because you're just working in concentrated spurts."[18]

Pearce described his character as a man "who came into this world with a number of physical disabilities. He's never been able to accept those limitations though and has spent most of his life trying to overcome them in any way he can. His tenacity and blind determination in fighting for a better life are seen by some as irritating, as he often comes across as obnoxious. He just won't accept the cards he was dealt, and being as intelligent as he is, has real drive to change and become a different person."[15] Shane Black specified, "Ultimately we do give you the Mandarin, the real guy, but it's Guy Pearce in the end with the big dragon tattooed on his chest."[16] He elaborated, "Do they hand me a blank check and say, 'Go break something!' Or, 'Go violate some long-standing comic book treaty that fans have supported for years?' No, but they'll say: 'Let's break something together.' So it's okay to come up with these crazy things, these far out ideas … and they'll fly. It's just that the Marvel guys have to be in the room."[19]

A geneticist whose work helped create Extremis.[5][20][21] Hall said Hansen would be a "strong female character," and described her decision to take the role, saying, "I decided to do Iron Man 3 because I've never done the 'hurry up and wait' movie before. Even the studio movies I've done have been small studio movies, or indie films that we made on a wing and a prayer. I love those, but Iron Man is refreshing in a way because it's something out of my realm of experiences."[22]

A war veteran who becomes an assassin after her exposure to Extremis.[5][23] Describing Brandt, Szostak says, "... [Extremis] was a second chance at life. We talked about what you feel like and I think it almost makes you a fuller version of who you are, all your weakness and your qualities – just everything gets enhanced. I saw it as very freeing, almost you become your true-self and your fantasy-self all at once."[24] The writers originally envisioned Brandt as Killian's main henchman, which would return throughout the movie to fight Tony, but eventually that role was reassigned to Eric Savin.[25]

Killian's Extremis-powered henchman.[5][26] Dale stated that his character in the film was "loosely based on" the comic version of the character.[27] According to Dale, "Ben Kingsley is the mouthpiece. Guy Pearce is the brain. I'm the muscle."[28]

Tony Stark's former bodyguard and chauffeur, now Stark Industries head of security. Favreau, who served as both actor and director on the previous two Iron Man films, said participating in the new film was "like [being] a proud grandfather who doesn't have to change the diapers but gets to play with the baby."[29]

A British actor with substance-abuse problems whom Killian hired to portray the Mandarin, a terrorist persona in jammed television broadcasts, in which he is depicted as a leader of the international terrorist organization The Ten Rings.[5][30][31] Kingsley was filming Ender's Game when he was cast, and said that, "Quite soon I'll be with everybody and we'll be discussing the look and the feel and the direction of the character. It's very early days yet, but I'm so thrilled to be on board."[32] On his performance, Kingsley stated: "I wanted a voice that would disconcert a Western audience. I wanted a voice that would sound far more homegrown and familiar—a familiarity like a teacher's voice or a preacher's voice. The rhythms and tones of an earnest, almost benign, teacher—trying to educate people for their own good."[33] The Mandarin was initially set to appear in the first Iron Man film, but he was put off for a sequel as the filmmakers felt that he was "too ambitious for a first [film]."[34]

On the character, Feige stated, "The Mandarin is [Iron Man's] most famous foe in the comics mainly because he's been around the longest. If you look, there's not necessarily a definitive Mandarin storyline in the comics. So it was really about having an idea."[12] Shane Black explains that Ben Kingsley's Mandarin is not Chinese in the film as he is in the comics in order to avoid the Fu Manchu stereotype: "We're not saying he's Chinese, we're saying he, in fact, draws a cloak around him of Chinese symbols and dragons because it represents his obsessions with Sun Tzu in various ancient arts of warfare that he studied." The filmmakers also cited Colonel Kurtz from Apocalypse Now as an influence for the character.[35] The videos where the Mandarin give historical background to the attacks expressed how it emerged as the product of "a think tank of people trying to create a modern terrorist."[25] Thus the Mandarin "represents every terrorist in a way," from South American insurgency tactics to the videos ofOsama bin Laden.[35]

"Truthfully, the way to go about doing a part 3, if you're ever in that position, as I'm lucky enough to be, is to find a way that the first two weren't done yet. You have to find a way to make sure that the story that's emerging is still ongoing and, by the time you've finished 3, will be something resembling the culmination of a trilogy. It's about, 'How has the story not yet been completely told?,' and I think we're getting there. I think we've really found ways to make this feel organic and new, based on what's come before, and that's what I'm happy about."

Following the release of Iron Man 2, a conflict between Paramount Pictures, which had distribution rights to certain Marvel properties, and The Walt Disney Company, Marvel Entertainment's new corporate parent, clouded the timing and the distribution arrangement of a possible third film.[47] On October 18, 2010, The Walt Disney Studios agreed to pay Paramount at least $115 million for the worldwide distribution rights to Iron Man 3 and The Avengers.[48] Disney, Marvel, and Paramount announced a May 3, 2013 release date for Iron Man 3.[49]

Iron Man and Iron Man 2 director Jon Favreau said in December 2010 that he would not direct Iron Man 3, opting to direct Magic Kingdom instead. He remained an executive producer of director Joss Whedon's crossover film The Avengers and also served as an executive producer of Iron Man 3.[50][51] In February 2011 Shane Black entered final negotiations to direct[52] and write the screenplay.[53] In March it was announced that Black would have co-writer Drew Pearce, who Marvel had originally hired for a Runaways script, work with him.[54] Downey, who had previously starred in Black's film Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, said, "Bringing in Shane Black to write and direct Iron Man 3 to me is basically the only transition from Favreau to a 'next thing' that Favreau and the audience and Marvel and I could ever actually sign off on."[6]

Shane Black described his take on the film as not being "two men in iron suits fighting each other," and more like a "Tom Clancy thriller," with Iron Man fighting real-world type villains.[53] Drew Pearce added that they would avert magic and space, with Iron Man 3 being "a techno-thriller set in a more real world than even The Avengers." The duo spent some time discussing themes and images and ideas before starting the script.[8] While writing, the focus was to avoid scenes of pure exposition, making every moment propel other narrative points forwards. Some elements from the comics were used even if in different connotations, such as making Rhodes wear Norman Osborn's Iron Patriot armor, and naming some characters with names from unrelated people in the Marvel Universe, such as Eric Savin and Jack Taggart.[25]

The film's plot is influenced primarily from "Extremis," the 2005-2006 Iron Man comics storyline written by Warren Ellis.[40] The first two acts would remain character-centric, albeit in Shane Black's words "more hectic, frenetic, and large scale" to fulfill its sequel obligations, with the third act going for more over-the-top action to what Drew Pearce described as "giving a sense of opera." The middle act was compared to Sullivan's Travels in having Tony meeting various people on his journey, and the writers made sure to not make the characters too similar. The initial draft had Maya Hansen herself leading the villainous operation, with the Mandarin and Killian emerging as antagonists in later versions of the script. During one of the writing sessions, Pearce suggested that the Mandarin was a fake, and Black agreed by going with making him an actor, which in turn Pearce detailed as an overacting British stage performer. Black explained: "Who would be fool enough to declare that is an international terrorist? If you're smart, whatever regime you're part of, you'd put a puppet committee and remain your house." In turn Killian would hide Slattery in "his own frat house, in kind of a drug-related house arrest" to keep the secret alive.[25]

Both the opening and the ending of the film were reworked in various ways. First it would begin with a flashback to Tony's childhood. Then like Iron Man it would begin in medias res, with Tony crashing in Tennessee before a voiceover that would lead to how he got there, until it got changed to the final version. For the climactic tanker battle, it was originally considered that Brandt would show up in the James Bond tradition of the henchman coming back for the heroes. Instead they chose to use Killian himself, and have Pepper, whom he abused earlier, cause his downfall as a way of poetic justice. The final dialogue was originally written as "I am Tony Stark" to be a response to the first movie's ending, but eventually it changed to "I am Iron Man" to enhance the mythical qualities.[25]

In September 2011, Marvel Studios reached an agreement to shoot the film primarily out of EUE/Screen Gems Studios in Wilmington, North Carolina. Michigan was also in contention to land the production, but the Michigan Film Office could not match North Carolina's tax incentives.[55] In April 2012, Ben Kingsley entered into negotiations to play a villain in Iron Man 3.[30] The film's fake working title was revealed to be Caged Heat, and Marvel Studios worked with the Tona B. Dahlquist Casting company to hire extras in the North Carolina area.[56] The following week, producer Kevin Feige revealed that Iron Man 3 would begin shooting in North Carolina "in five weeks," and said that it "is a full-on Tony Stark-centric movie... very much inspired by the first half of Iron Man ... [H]e's stripped of everything, he's backed up against a wall, and he's gotta use his intelligence to get out of it. He can't call Thor, he can't call Cap, he can't call Nick Fury, and he can't look for the Helicarrier in the sky."[57] A few days later, The Walt Disney Company China, Marvel Studios and DMG Entertainment announced an agreement to co-produce Iron Man 3 in China. DMG partly financed, produced in China with Marvel, and handled co-production matters. DMG also distributed the film in China in tandem with Disney.[58][59]

From July 19 to August 1, 2012, filming took place on Oak Island, North Carolina, to "film aerial drops over the Atlantic Ocean."[75] They were done for the scene where Iron Man rescues the people falling from the Air Force One over Miami, which were originally envisioned done with green screen effects, but were changed to using actual skydivers as second unit director Brian Smrz knew the Red Bullskydiving team. Computer graphics were only employed to add clouds, the destroyed plane and matte paintings of the Florida coastline in the background, replace a stand-in with the Iron Man armor, and some digital compositing to combine different takes of the skydivers together.[76] Filming took place in Rose Hill, North Carolina in early August 2012,[77] and the town's name was incorporated into the script as the Tennessee city Stark visits.[74] On August 14, actress Dale Dickey said she had been cast in the film, and was currently shooting her scenes.[43] The following day, production was halted when Downey suffered an ankle injury.[78] During the break, Black and Pearce made more script revisions before shooting resumed by August 24.[79][80]

Cast and crew began arriving in Florida on October 1, to shoot scenes on Dania Beach and around South Florida.[81] That same day, Downey returned to the set after his ankle injury.[82] In early October, scenes were shot at a replica of the Malibu restaurant Neptune's Net,[83] and filming took place on location at the Vizcaya Museum and Gardens.[84] Scenes were shot during the daytime inside the Miami Beach Resort at Miami Beach on October 10 and 11.[85] The production returned to Wilmington in mid-October for additional filming.[86] On November 1, scenes were shot at the Vizcaya Museum and Gardens.[87] Filming in the United States wrapped on November 7 in Wilmington.[88]

Filming began in Beijing, China on December 10. Filming was scheduled to wrap a week later on December 17, 2012.[44] The China filming did not include the main cast and crew.[88] In January 2013, it was reported that a film crew led by Shane Black would begin location scouting in Hyderabad, India and Bengaluru, India between January 20 and 24.[89] Also in January, Cheadle confirmed that reshooting was taking place in Manhattan Beach.[90] Shooting also took place on the week of January 23, 2013 at TCL Chinese Theatre in Hollywood.[91] A major part of the content filmed in the reshoots regarded the Mandarin, with Drew Pearce saying that in early cuts, the character "didn't feel real enough — there wasn't a sense of him being [part of] the real world, mostly because he was just looking down a lens and threatening the world."[8]

Chris Townsend served as visual effects supervisor for the film, which featured over 2,000 visual effects shots and was worked on by 17 studios, including Weta Digital, Digital Domain, Scanline VFX, Trixter, Framestore, Luma Pictures, Fuel VFX, Cantina Creative, Cinesite, The Embassy Visual Effects, Lola, Capital T, Prologue and Rise FX.[73] Townsend said that from January 2013 through the end of filming in April, the collective crew had one day of downtime, otherwise working seven days a week and 14 to 18 hours a day.[92]

Digital Domain, Scanline VFX and Trixter each worked on separate shots featuring the Mark 42 armor, working with different digital models. The studios shared some of their files to ensure consistency between the shots. For the Mark 42 and Iron Patriot armors, Legacy Effects constructed partial suits that were worn on set. Townsend explained that "Invariably we'd shoot a soft-suit with Robert then we'd also put tracking markers on his trousers. He would also wear lifts in his shoes or be up in a box so he'd be the correct height—Iron Man is 6'5". During shooting we used multiple witness cams, Canon C300s, and we had two or three running whenever there was an Iron Man or Extremis character." The artists studied time lapse photography of decaying fruit and vegetables and actual phenomena such as the aurora borealis as reference for the effect of the glowing Extremis characters.[73]

The film's production was delayed following Downey's leg injury, and for certain shots they were forced to create a double for Downey. Townsend explained that "The collective VFX [supervisors] and unit leads ran into a room as soon as the incident happened to try to ascertain what sequences could they shoot." Certain shots were filmed with a body double on set, and Weta Digital created a digital body double for others.[92]

A total of three hours and 15 minutes of footage were shot before editing, where it was brought down to 130 minutes (119 without the credits),[25] marking the longest stand-alone Iron Man film.[40] Post-production also had a 3D conversion[93] and a digital remaster for the IMAX release.[94]Todd-AO mixed the sound in Dolby Atmos to enhance the immersive experience.[95]

In October 2012, Brian Tyler signed on to score the film.[96] According to Tyler, he was approached more for his "thematic" scores such as The Greatest Game Ever Played, Annapolis and Partition rather than his "modern" action scores such as The Fast and Furious films, with Kevin Feige asking a theme that was recognizable and featured those dramatic tones.[97] To employ the "deeply thematic component with a strong melody," the score employs mostly orchestra sounds. The main theme for Iron Man focuses on horns and trumpets,[98] to be "both a march and anthem." Tyler mentioned that John Williams' work in Raiders of the Lost Ark was the first thing he thought as an influence, and the cue for the Well of Souls in Raiders influenced the Extremis motif, as Tyler felt it should enhance an spiritual side for having a "technology so advanced that nears magic." Echoing the Mandarin's amalgamated personality, his theme was religious music "that borrows from many cultures," from "Monastic, Gothic, and Christian chants to music from the Middle-East."[97] The score was recorded with the London Philharmonic Orchestra at Abbey Road Studios.[98] Tyler is the third primary composer to score an Iron Man film, following Ramin Djawadi of Iron Man and John Debney of Iron Man 2.

Iron Man 3 was distributed worldwide by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures1 with the exception of China, where it was released by DMG Entertainment, and Germany and Austria, where it was released by Tele München Group.[58] The Chinese version of the film offers specially prepared bonus footage made exclusively for the Chinese audience.[46] This version features a four-minute longer cut of the film, with a scene showing Dr. Wu on the phone with Iron Man visible on a television screen behind him, as well as a longer scene of Dr. Wu operating on Stark. The extra material also features product placement of different Chinese products.[100]

The film's premiere happened at Le Grand Rex in Paris, on April 14, 2013, with Robert Downey, Jr. and Gwyneth Paltrow in attendance.[101] While the UK premiere of the film was originally set for April 17, the funeral of former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher taking place in that date made the event be pushed to the following day.[102] Downey, Ben Kingsley and Rebecca Hall were present for the advance screening at London's Odeon Leicester Square.[103] The El Capitan Theatre in Los Angeles hosted the United States premiere of Iron Man 3 on April 24.[104] The film opened in 46 countries through April 22–24,[105] with the United States release, in 4,253 screens, happening one week later.[106]Regal Cinemas, AMC Theatres and Carmike Cinemas put presale tickets on hold, two weeks before the US premiere. The cinemas were in a contract dispute with Disney, who wished to receive more of the ticket sale profit than they currently did, largely based on the projected premiere-weekend intake Iron Man 3 was expected to have. Carmike was the first to come to terms with Disney.[107] It was later reported that Cinemark Theatres had also stopped selling presale tickets, and Regal Cinemas had removed all marketing material for the film from its locations.[108] On April 25, 2013, Regal, AMC and Disney ended their dispute, which allowed Regal and AMC to proceed with selling presale tickets again.[109][110]

IMAX screenings began on April 25, 2013 internationally and May 3 in the United States.[94] The film was shown in the 4DX format, featuring strobe lights, tilting seats, blowing wind and fog and odor effects in selected countries.[111][112] In Japan, the technology opened its first room at the Korona World theatre in Nagoya, Japan with the release of the film.[113]

In July 2012, at the San Diego Comic-Con International, a new Iron Man armor from the movie, the Mark XLII, was on display on the convention floor, along with the Marks I-VII from the first two Iron Man movies and The Avengers.[114] A panel was held, during which Shane Black, Robert Downey, Jr., Don Cheadle, Jon Favreau and Kevin Feige discussed making the film, and several minutes of footage from the movie were shown.[29] The first television advertisement aired during Super Bowl XLVII on the CBS network in the United States.[115] On March 25, 2013, Marvel and Disney revealed on the official Iron Man Facebook page, "Iron Man 3: Armor Unlock," to reveal suits Stark has made before the events of the film.[116] In January 2013, Marvel Comics released a two-issue comic book prelude by writers Christos Gage and Will Corona Pilgrim with art by Steve Kurth and Drew Geraci. The story set between the second and third Iron Man films centers on War Machine, revealing why he was absent during the battle in New York of The Avengers.[117]

Disney also promoted the film at its domestic theme parks. Disneyland's Innoventions attraction received a Stark Industries exhibit beginning April 13, and Monorail Black of the Walt Disney World Monorail System was given an exterior Iron Man scheme.[125][126] The exhibit, entitled Iron Man Tech Presented by Stark Industries, features the same armor display that was shown at the 2012 San Diego Comic-Con, with the Marks I-VII and the new Mark XLII. In addition, there is a simulator game, titled "Become Iron Man," that uses Kinect-like technology to allow the viewer to be encased in an animated Mark XLII armor and take part in a series of "tests,” in which you fire repulsor rays and fly through Tony Stark's workshop. The game is guided by J.A.R.V.I.S., who is voiced again by Paul Bettany. The exhibit also has smaller displays that include helmets and chest pieces from the earlier films and the gauntlet and boot from an action sequence in Iron Man 3.[127]

Iron Man 3 grossed $409 million in North America and $806.4 million in other countries for a worldwide total of $1.2 billion. Worldwide, it is the sixth highest-grossing film, the second highest-grossing 2013 film, the second-highest-grossing film of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (behind Marvel's The Avengers),[133] the highest-grossing film of the Iron Man film series,[134] the third-highest-grossing film distributed by Disney and the highest-grossing threequel.[135] It achieved the sixth-largest worldwide opening weekend with $372.5 million.[136] On the weekend of May 3–5, 2013, the film set a record for the largest worldwide weekend in IMAX with $28.6 million.[137] On its 23rd day in theaters, Iron Man 3 became the sixth Disney film and the 16th film overall to reach $1 billion.[138] It is the first Iron Man film to gross over $1 billion, the second Marvel film to do so after The Avengers,[40] and the fourth-fastest film to reach the milestone. As part of the earlier distribution agreement made with Disney in 2010, Paramount Pictures received 9% of the box office gross generated by Iron Man 3.[139]

Iron Man 3 is the fourteenth-highest-grossing film, the second highest-grossing 2013 film,[140] as well as the fourth-highest-grossing comic-book and superhero film.[141][142] By the end of its opening day, Iron Man 3 made $68.9 million (including $15.6 million from late Thursday shows),[106] achieving the seventh-highest-grossing opening day.[143] By the end of its opening weekend, the film earned $174.1 million, scoring the second-highest opening weekend of all time (behind The Avengers). Of the opening-weekend audience, 55% was over 25 years old and 61% were males, while only 45% of the gross originated from 3-D screenings. Opening-weekend earnings from IMAX amounted to $16.5 million.[144] It topped the box office during two consecutive weekends and achieved the fifth-largest second-weekend gross with $72.5 million.[145]

Iron Man 3 is the sixth-highest-grossing film, the second highest-grossing 2013 film, the second-highest-grossing superhero and comic-book film, and the third-highest-grossing film distributed by Disney.[146] The film earned $13.2 million on its opening day (Wednesday, April 24, 2013) from 12 countries.[147] Through Sunday, April 28, it earned a five-day opening weekend of $198.4 million from 42 countries.[148] The film's opening-weekend gross included $7.1 million from IMAX venues.[149] It set opening-day records in the Philippines (surpassed by Man of Steel), Taiwan,[147] Singapore, Vietnam, Malaysia,[150] China,[151] Ukraine,[152] Russia and the CIS,[153] both single- and opening-day records in Thailand and South Africa,[154] as well as a single-day record in Hong Kong.[155] It also scored the second-biggest opening day in Argentina (only behind Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2).[156] The film set opening-weekend records in the Asia Pacific region, in Latin America, and in individual countries including Argentina (first surpassed by Fast & Furious 6, when including weekday previews),[157] Ecuador,[158] Hong Kong, Indonesia, Vietnam, Taiwan, the Philippines, Malaysia, Singapore,[148] Thailand, South Africa, and the United Arab Emirates.[152] It also achieved the second-largest opening weekend in Mexico,[159] in Brazil,[160] and in Russia and the CIS.[153] In India, it had the second-best opening weekend for a Hollywood film after The Amazing Spider-Man.[161] IMAX opening-weekend records were set in Taiwan, the Netherlands, Brazil and the Philippines.[149] It is the highest-grossing film in Indonesia, Malaysia[162] and Vietnam[163] and the second highest-grossing film in Singapore and the Philippines (behind The Avengers).[164] It topped the weekend box office outside North America three consecutive times.[165]

In China, where part of the production took place, the film set a midnight-showings record with $2.1 million, as well as single-day and opening-day records with $21.5 million (on its opening day).[151] Through its first Sunday, the film earned an opening-weekend total of $64.1 million,[166] making China's opening the largest for the film, followed by a $23.1 million opening in Russia and the CIS, and a $21.2 million opening in the UK, Ireland and Malta.[167] With total earnings reaching $124 million,[168] it was the highest-grossing American film in China in 2013, and the country is the film's highest-grossing market after North America, followed by South Korea ($64.2 million) and the UK, Ireland and Malta ($57.1 million).[163][167]

The review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reported a 78% approval rating with an average rating of 6.9/10 based on 280 reviews. The website's consensus reads, "With the help of its charismatic lead, some impressive action sequences, and even a few surprises, Iron Man 3 is a witty, entertaining adventure and a strong addition to the Marvel canon."[169]Metacritic gave a score of 62 out of 100 based on 44 reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[170]

In an early review by the trade magazineThe Hollywood Reporter, Todd McCarthy said that, "After nearly crashing and burning on his last solo flight in 2010, Iron Man returns refreshed and ready for action in this spirited third installment... [that] benefits immeasurably from the irreverent quicksilver humor of co-writer and director Shane Black.[171] Calling the film "darker and more serious than its predecessors," Kenneth Turan of the Los Angeles Times credited Black for "chang[ing] this billion-dollar-plus franchise's tone for the better while keeping the same actor as Tony Stark. ... There is quite a bit of Black's trademark attitude and humor here as well, things like a throwaway reference to the sci-fi classic Westworld and a goofy character who has Tony Stark's likeness tattooed on his forearm. Black and company throw all kinds of stuff at the audience, and though it doesn't all work, a lot of it does and the attempt to be different and create unguessable twists is always appreciated."[172] Rafer Guzman of Newsday characterized Iron Man as "the anti-Batman, all zip and zingers. He's also, suddenly, rather family-friendly. Some of the movie's best moments are shared by Stark and latchkey kid Harley (Ty Simpkins), who mock their budding father-son relationship while acting it out."[173]Psychology Today concluded that the film presented an accurate portrayal of Tony Stark's posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms.[174]

Nick De Semlyen of the UK film magazine Empire had criticisms, even while giving the film four of five stars. Finding it "a swinging caper with wit, balls, heart and exploding baubles," he said the villainous "super-soldiers who can regenerate body parts and survive astounding damage [are] visually interesting ... but their motivation is murky and unconvincing."[175] Likewise Joshua Rothkopf of Time Out New York bestowed 3 of 5 stars, saying, "Black has massively upped the verbal sparring and kept the broad inventiveness of comic-book malleability in mind. ... The most wonderful of Black's surprises harkens back to his '80s reputation for character revision and is simply too good to ruin here." But, he asked, "[W]hy, finally, are we down at the docks—in the dark, no less—for one of those lumbering climaxes involving swinging shipping cranes? The energy bleeds out of the film; it's as if the producers were scared the crowd would riot over not enough digital fakeness."[176]

Reacting more negatively, Stephen Whitty of The Star-Ledger found the film "slickly enjoyable" for the visual effects, but said, "[T]here's something empty about the film. Like Tony's suits, it's shiny and polished. But this time, there's nobody inside... This movie has neither the emotionalism of the first film, nor the flashy villains of the second... Tony's relationship with girlfriend Pepper Potts is in inexplicable jeopardy—and then simply fixes itself. A supposedly cute kid sidekick—a true sign of authorial desperation—is introduced, and then dropped."[177]Michael Phillips of the Chicago Tribune echoed this, saying, "[I]n a gleefully cynical bid for a preteen audience (a few years too young for the violence in Iron Man 3, I'd say), Stark befriends a bullied 8-year-old [sic] (Ty Simpkins) who becomes his tag-along and sometime savior... Stark no longer needs to be in the Iron Man suit. He's able to operate the thing remotely when needed. The movie's like that too. It's decent superhero blockbustering, but rather remote and vaguely secondhand. At this point, even with Black's flashes of black humor, the machinery is more or less taking care of itself, offering roughly half of the genial wit and enjoyment of the first Iron Man."[178]

In March 2013, Black stated that Downey's original contract with Marvel Studios, which expired after the release of Iron Man 3, may be extended in order for the actor to appear in a second Avengers film and at least one more Iron Man film. He said: "There has been a lot of discussion about it: 'Is this the last Iron Man for Robert [Downey, Jr.]?' Something tells me that it will not be the case, and [he] will be seen in a fourth, or fifth." Also in the month, Feige said that the character of Tony Stark will continue to be featured in the Marvel Cinematic Universe regardless of Downey's involvement,[197] while Downey said he was open to extending his contract, stating he feels "there's a couple other things we've gotta do" with the character.[198]

In April 2013, Cheadle stated that Iron Man 3 could be the final film in the series, saying, "The door is always left open in these kinds of movies especially when they do as well as they have done. I know there was talk of making sure we did this one right, and if it worked it could be the last one. There's room for more to be done with these characters. We're getting to a sweet spot with Tony and Rhodey, anyway."[199] On June 20, 2013, Marvel announced that Downey had signed a two-picture deal to appear in Avengers: Age of Ultron and a third Avengers film.[200]

In September 2014, in regards to a fourth film, Downey said, "There isn't one in the pipe," and "No, there's no plan for a fourth Iron Man."[201] In October 2014, Marvel confirmed that Downey would reprise his role as Iron Man in Captain America: Civil War, set to be released in 2016.[202]Variety noted that Marvel initially wanted Downey's part to be smaller, however "Downey wanted Stark to have a more substantial role in the film’s plot." They also noted that Downey would receive $40 million plus backend for his participation, as well as an additional payout if the film outperforms Captain America: The Winter Soldier, as the studio would feel the success of Civil War would be attributed to Downey.[203]

In February 2014, Marvel released their latest One-Shot film, All Hail the King, on Thor: The Dark World '​s home media, featuring Kingsley reprising his role as Trevor Slattery, and continues Slattery's story from the end of the film.[204]

^ abZakarin, Jordan (March 29, 2013). "Marvel to Release Special Chinese Cut of 'Iron Man 3'". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on April 24, 2013. Retrieved March 30, 2013. Marvel announced Friday that the third film in its Iron Man franchise, a joint production of the Disney-owned Marvel Pictures and Beijing-based DMG Entertainment, will be tailor-made for Chinese audiences. All versions of the film will feature scenes shot in Beijing, product placement for Chinese electronics manufacturer TCL and co-star Wang Xueqi, but a version cut for the world's most populous nation also will boast "specially prepared bonus footage" and an appearance by megastar Fan Bingbing.

^"All though...". Cobie Smulders verified Twitter page. August 5, 2012. Archived from the original on September 3, 2012. Retrieved August 5, 2012. All though it would be fun I'm not in IM3, I think there was some confusion because I'm shooting the movie Safe Haven right next door in NC.